36 point-to-point speed cameras to begin operation in Erbil: Traffic spox
Thus far, there have been no traffic accidents in areas where point-to-point speed cameras have been installed, according to the spokesperson.
ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – Fazel Haji, spokesperson for the Erbil General Directorate of Traffic, told Kurdistan 24 that an additional 36 point-to-point speed cameras will begin to operate on Saturday night.
Haji explained that a camera will capture a photo of the car as it initially enters the point-to-point zone, while another camera further along the road will take a second snapshot, determining the car’s speed based on the time expired between the cameras.
“Several new roads were constructed and renovated, but the citizens did not use them properly, and the rate of traffic accidents and deaths increased, so the decision was made to install point-to-point speed cameras,” he stated, while referencing an observation that improved road infrastructure has not decreased traffic accidents.
Thus far, there have been no traffic accidents in areas where point-to-point speed cameras have been installed, according to the spokesperson.
Moreover, he said that the 120-meter road in Erbil is 26 kilometers long; driving at the speed limit takes 20 minutes to travel the whole road and added, “A driver who drives below the designated speed on the 120-meter road – 110 kilometers per hour – will not be considered in violation, only the speed limit will be considered.”
He previously told Kurdistan 24 that point-to-point speed cameras would be installed on the 120-Meter Road, in addition to the Khabat, Shaqlawa, and Koya highways.
Furthermore, Hemin Mirani, Director General of the Diwan at the Ministry of Interior, earlier told Kurdistan 24 that point-to-point speed cameras are expected to reduce traffic accidents by 50% by 2030.
Mobile phone usage and excessive speeding are two leading causes of fatal accidents in the Kurdistan Region, followed by not adhering to driving safety measures, such as wearing seatbelts and avoiding alcohol consumption. According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the use of seatbelts reduces death rates by 45% and serious injury by 50%.
Moreover, a lack of a public transportation system in the country has caused an overreliance on private vehicles, leading to traffic congestion and more accidents.
In 2022, 7,000 car accidents were reported in Iraq, a country at the forefront of annual traffic accidents per year.
Read More: Iraq records nearly 7,000 traffic accidents in less than a year
